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| Barbados
Sports |
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Water
Sports
Barbados is fringed by coral reefs which host a variety of marine
life and offer brilliant scuba diving and snorkelling.
Sea horses, frog fish, giant sand eels and the hawksbill turtle
are among the creatures to be found around the Carribean island.
Visiting the barrier reefs half a mile to 2 miles away from the
shore is a must. Dive operators can provide equipment, advice and
guided tours.
Carlisle Bay near Bridgetown
has 200 wrecks and is a great venue for beginners. Folkstone Marine
Park features the well known wreck of the Stavronikita. The best
conditions for windsurfing, jet skiing, parasailing and water skiing
are on the south and west coasts. Crane Beach on the south eastern
side is a pink tinged stretch of sand that is perfect for bodysurfing
but too rough for swimming. There is also good, regular surfing
at the Soup Bowl, Rockley Beach and South Point. All watersports
are simple to arrange.
Spectator
Sports
Cricket is the national
obsession and can be enjoyed practically all year round, both at
national and club level. Test matches and the Inter-Caribbean Shield
competition are played at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. Several
great names of West Indian cricket are from Barbados, most notably
Sir Garfield Sobers.
There are 20 horse racing meetings at the Garrison
Savannah during the year’s 2 main seasons (January to March
and May to October), the highlight of which is the Sandy Lane Gold
Cup Race, held on the first Saturday in March. Polo is played to
a high level all the way through the year.
Golf
There are 3 18 hole courses (Royal Westmoreland,
designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior, Sandy Lane and the Barbados
Golf Club) and 3 9 hole courses (Rockley, Almond
Beach Village and Belair). Reservations are generally required and
instruction is available at all levels.
Fishing
Boat chartering is available for spin fishing, game fishing and
inshore fishing. Game fishing tournaments are held
regularly, with the highlight of the deep sea season being the Mutual
/ Mount Gay International Tournament in April.
Other
Stables and horses are accessible and horse riding
along the beach at sunset can be arranged.
The Barbados National Trust organises customary guided hikes,
as advertised in their ‘Calendar of Hikes’. The hikes,
which last for approximately 3 hours, begin at 6.00 am, 3.30 pm
and 5.30 pm. Participants on evening (moonlight) walks need to bring
a torch. For further details, please contact the tourist board (see
Contacts
section) |
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